Sale: 436 / Modern Art I, Dec. 10. 2016 in Munich Lot 214

 

214
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Porträt Erna Schilling, Um 1911/1913.
Pencil drawing
Estimate:
€ 12,000 / $ 12,840
Sold:
€ 16,250 / $ 17,387

(incl. surcharge)
Porträt Erna Schilling. Um 1911/1913.
Pencil drawing.
Verso with estate stam of the Kunstmuseum Basel (Lugt 1570 b) and with the hand-written registration number "B Be/B2 16". On creme wove paper. 46.6 x 31.5 cm (18.3 x 12.4 in), the full sheet.

Early drawing with a poised line.

In 1911, shortly after relocating to Berlin, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner became acquainted with Erna Schilling, who would become his model and partner. The slightly modified motif of this portrait drawing of Erna Schilling appears in the painting "Frau mit großem Kragen" (Gordon 279) from 1912. The firm linear structure is characteristic of Kirchner's style around the year 1911. He outlines the portrait with a poised hand. The portrait drawing is entirely void of any hint at a pictorial interpretation, it is merely defined by the pure and forceful line. In the course of his artistic activity Ernst Ludwig Kirchner produced a vast graphic oeuvre that still awaits scientific treatment owed to its complexity. His drawings make for a completely independent work complex, just as Kirchner had intended it. From that perspective the drawings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner can be seen as a graphic achievement that is unmatched by the documents of his contemporaries. [KD]



214
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Porträt Erna Schilling, Um 1911/1913.
Pencil drawing
Estimate:
€ 12,000 / $ 12,840
Sold:
€ 16,250 / $ 17,387

(incl. surcharge)